Love is in the air! Lincoln Park Zoo’s new Bolivian gray titi monkey goes bananas for mate

Lincoln Park Zoo has a new primate resident: Tacama, a 14-year-old female Bolivian gray titi monkey who has joined longtime male monkey Ocho at Helen Brach Primate House. According to the zoo’s press release, the pair has already shown a strong bond, with keepers watching them sit close together and wrap their long tails around each other.

That behavior, called tail twining, is a key sign of compatibility for the species, the zoo said. It is similar to humans holding hands and can help reinforce social bonds.

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What the monkeys tell caretakers

According to Dani Fogarty, curator at Lincoln Park Zoo, “We’re excited to see such remarkable compatibilities between Ocho and Tacama. The two hit it off almost immediately upon introduction, and they continue to choose to spend time together, often with their tails intertwined; they sit on one of the many branches in their habitat.”

Tacama came to the zoo from another accredited Association of Zoos and Aquariums institution. She has a breeding recommendation with Ocho through the Bolivian Gray Titi Monkey Species Survival Plan, a coordinated effort among AZA institutions to manage and sustain the species population, according to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

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Species built for the trees

Bolivian gray titi monkeys live in humid tropical forests and swamps in the southern Amazon River basin and rarely come to the forest floor, the zoo’s press release confirmed. They live in small family groups led by one monogamous adult pair and several offspring.

According to the zoo, females can give birth to one baby each year after a 160-day pregnancy, usually between November and March. Males help care for the young by carrying them when females are not nursing.

The monkeys are small, measuring about 13 inches from head to body, with tails that add another 15 to 18 inches. Their tails cannot grasp objects, Lincoln Park Zoo said, but the animals use them for close contact and social connection. Pairs also duet to mark territory, with calls heard up to a kilometer away.